Automatic roller.



J. B. DRUMM.

AUTOMATIC ROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15, 1914.

1 1 $4,03Q. Patented J 11116 22; 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

3444) enter- THE NORRIS PETERS $0., PHoTc-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, D4 C,

J. B. DRUMM.

AUTOMATIC ROLLER.

APPLICATHJN man JULY 15. 1914.

Li%%@3@f PatentedJune 1915.

2 SHEETS- H 2.

JOHN B.'DRU1VI1VI, 0F WINSLOW, ARIZONA.

AUTOMATIC ROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. DRUMM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winslow, in the county of Navijo, State of Arizona, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Rollers; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an automatic roller.

' An object of this invention is to provide a roller of this characterby means of which a curtain, awning or the like may be readily operated.

A further object of the invention is to so construct a roller that anawning of considerable length may be evenly rolled.

With these and other objects in view, such as will appear as thedescription progresses, my invention comprises the combination andarrangement of parts as herein set forth and subsequently claimed.

Referring to the drawing, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device.Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an end view. Fig. 1 is asection on line H of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detail section of the rollers,showing the same in looking position.- Fig. 6 is a similar view, showingthe pawls in such position as to allow the casing to rotate. Fig. 7 is asection taken at right angles to Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a detail with aportion of the roller casing removed.

Referring to the drawings wherein like parts are indicated by likecharacters throughout the several views, my device comprises a baseboard 1 having at each end thereof a bracket 2 secured thereto by screws3. In these brackets are formed slots l which are open at their upperends. Extending between these brackets is a roller 5 having a series ofscrews 6 thereon by means of which a curtain, awning or the like may beattached thereto. Each end of this roller is internally screw threadedand on each end thereof is secured a drum 7 having a threaded shank 8which engages into the threads in the adjacent end of the roller 5.Formed integrally with this shank 8 on one of the drums 7 is a disk 9and extending from the disk 9 is an integral portion 10 of the shankwhich terminates at its end in an annular casing 11.

An operating cord 12 is wound about the shank portion between the disk 9and the casing 11. a

Extending through the shank and through the casing 11 is an axle 13which has a re duced portion 14 and a slot 15 formed longitudinallythereof. The end of the said axle is slotted, as at 16, so that it maybe accommodated in the slot 1 of the adjacent brace 2 and prevented fromrotation while in such posltlon.

A leaf spring 17 is coiled about and secured to the inner face of thecasing 11 and one end of the spring is secured to the enlarged portionof the axle 13. The tendency of the spring is to normally rotate thedrum with relation to the axle, but in order that thls rotation may beprevented at times a cover plate 18 having a hole 19 therein throughwhich the axle 13 extends is screwed into the open face of the casing 7.The portion of this plate 18 within the casing has a transverselyextending slot 20 therein in which are operable two slidably arrangedpawls 21. These pawls are maintained in the slots from transversedisplacement by flanges 22. The ends of these pawls have a notch 23formed on one edge thereof and a cam surface 21 leading fromsaid notchto the other edge thereof so that the tendency of the uppermost pawlwhen the device is in operative position is to drop into the slot 15 sothat the notch in the said pawl engages the slot to hold the casingagainst rotation. The tendency of the spring 17 is such that when thedevice is in operation it causes the notches 23 to bind in the slot 15to lock the casing. It is only necessary, however, to quickly releasethe pawl from the notch by pulling the curtain or awning down slightlyand then allowing the same to be drawn rapidly upwardly by the spring.At this time the pawls are thrown outwardly from the axle 13 bycentrifugal force so that as the uppermost pawl passes the slot 15 inthe axle 13 it will be out of contact with the face of the axle and thusthe notch therein will not contact with the said slot to prevent furtherrotation of the drum, however, if it is desired to stop the rotarymotion of the roller at any point it is only necessary to allow the sameto rotate slowly so that the centrifugal force is reduced to allow theuppermost pawl to fall into the slot 15. The drum on the other end ofthe roller 5 has secured thereto a similar casing, but the disk 9 andthe portion 10 on which the rope or chain for operating the device iswrapped are omitted.

Adjacent the operating end of the device in the base 1 is a hole 25having a metallic collar 26 therein in which is located a pair ofanti-friction rollers 27 The operating member 12 passes over theseanti-friction rollers 27 and through the base 1 and thence downwardly.

An end section of an awning 28 is secured to each end of the roller 5 inthe following manner: A pair of plates 29having holes therein aresecured together with the adjacent portion of an awning between thesame. The roller 5 extends through these plates and is allowed to haverelative rotary movement thereto because of the fact that the holes inthe plates are considerably larger than the diameter of the roller.

From the foregoing description it may be seen that I have provided adevice which will facilitate the raising or lowering of shades, awningor the like, and I have further provided such a device that the saidshades or. awning may be rolled thereon and the. movement of the saidroller may be arrested at any desired point, and I have still furtherprovided centrifugally operated pawls for maintaining the roller in itsadjusted position or allowing the same to ro= tate as desired.

WVhile I have described a particular embodiment of my invention, I donot wish to be limited to that particular embodiment for it is obviousthat numerous changes may be made within the scope of the invention asdefined by the claims.

What is claimed is l. A device of the class described comprising anelongated base, a bracket secured to each end thereof and having anupwardly opening slot therein, a roller extending between said brackets,a drum secured to one end of the roller, said drum comprising a threadedshank arranged to' engage screw threads in the roller, a casing on oneend of the said shank, a disk secured to the shank between the casingand threaded end thereof, an axle having a slot therein and extendingthrough the shank and easing portion and rotatable therein, the end ofsaid axle being mounted in the slot in the adjacent bracket in suchmanner that the rotation of the axle will be prevented, a springconnected to the axle and to the casing, a cover for the casing having aslot therein, and pawls freely slidable in said slots and arranged toengage the slot in the axle.

2. In an automatic roller, the combination with a roller member, of adrum secured to one end thereof, a stationary axle extending through thesaid drum on which it is arranged to rotate, the said drum comprising acasing, a spring secured to the casing and to the axle for rotating thedrum in one direction, the said drum further comprising a shank and aflange formed integrally with said shank in spaced relation to the saidcasing whereby an operating member may be wound upon the shank to causethe rotation of the drum against the action of the spring.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN B. DRUMM.

Oopiesof this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

